Their Poison Ivy
by chocolatebearturk
Summary: If the Lucas brothers ever agreed about anything, it was that Macy was their poison ivy. Macy/?; Slight Joella
1. Their Poison Ivy

**Their Poison Ivy**_  
(potr)_

_Dedication: WyszLo, for giving me the most fantastic reviews I've ever gotten, ever. You're FANTASTIC, Lauren!_

If the Lucas brothers ever agreed about anything, it was that Macy was their poison ivy. _Sure_, she was pretty and intelligent and athletic. _Yes_, she was always there for them. And _yes_, she was a fanatic about the band. And _yes_, she was the sweetest girl on the planet.

But that was what made her so dangerous.

The first time they realized how dangerous she could be, it had nearly resulted in an all-out war between Nick and Kevin. Joe was a _horrible_ mediator and it took several weeks for the incident to blow over. In Macy's presence, things were normal. But when the girl wasn't there to watch, they boys were at each others' throats. It took all of Stella and Joe's efforts to keep them from _KILLING_ each other. Even the Book of JONAS Law wasn't enough to keep them in line.

They had both fallen, _hard_, for Macy. And the only thing that kept them from ripping each other to threads?

"How upset would Macy be if you killed one-third of her favorite band and put another third in jail?"

Nick and Kevin eventually decided that they valued their friendship and Macy's happiness too much to risk either and stopped fighting. But that didn't stop Kevin from feeling the bitter resentment when he saw the two of them studying for their shared AP classes. And it didn't prevent the caustic jealousy that coursed through Nick's veins as he watched his cheerleader brother and Macy bond over their school spirit.

They tried to warn Joe about getting too close. Honestly, they did. After all, they knew first-hand what it was like.

"She's _always_ there," Kevin had said. "Just down the hall or down at the store. _Right_ there."

Nick had agreed fervently. "And you just _know_ that all it'll take is that _one_ phone call or that _one_ text and she'll come running. That's just the way she is."

"She just… _infects_ you."

"It's slow—you don't even realize it's happening."

"Then she's all you can think about—"

"All you _want _to think about," Nick had specified, to which Kevin had nodded enthusiastically.

They came to the conclusion that Joe was a glutton for punishment.

He had messed up—_bad__**—**_with Stella. Macy had been there to comfort him. And so he had allowed her to get close.

Joe's own 'infection' only lasted for two weeks; and there were some things that he refused to tell his brothers. (After all, they were _hardly_ over Macy, and learning that he had kissed her a couple times would only grant him a swift but painful death. He wasn't _stupid_.)

It was his love for Stella—and Stella's love for him—that truly saved him from Macy's charms. He would remember that two weeks with a strange fondness for the rest of his life, but Stella was the reason he dragged himself out of bed in the morning.

Of course, when Kevin joked that writing a song about the experience would be entertaining (for he'd mostly gotten over the ordeal), Nick took him seriously.

"Okay," he had said. "You think of a way to describe it and we'll start."

It hadn't been hard. After a minute's thought, Kevin blurted, "Poison ivy."

And they all seemed to agree.

She looked innocent enough, but she drove them crazy like an itch they couldn't scratch. She affected them all without discrimination, found a way to make a permanent place in each of their hearts and had made them forever wary of pretty, intelligent, and athletic brunettes. She infected their minds and hearts and left them in need of SERIOUS rehabilitation. She hadn't ever done anything specifically to gain their attention; they had been attracted by their own curiosity and ignorance and it had been her nature—her sweetness, her kindness, her _faultlessness_—that made them trip and fall.

It was one of their most successful collaborations. After that summer's tour, Macy declared that she had a new favorite song. She had no idea why Kevin sent Nick a pitying smile when she described her love for their new hit. She couldn't begin to guess the reason Stella glared briefly at Joe upon hearing her pronouncement.

"_What_?" she asked, blowing out an impatient, frustrated breath. "Poison Ivy is a _GREAT_ song!"

It wouldn't be until later—YEARS later, to be exact—that she learned what their inspiration had been.

"The funniest thing about all of this?" Nick asked as he finished the story. He fingered the engagement ring Macy now wore. "I'm deathly allergic to poison ivy."

Macy just laughed and gave him a kiss.

_**a/n: So, this is barely a drabble. I was listening to this song on my MP3 player this morning and I just suddenly got the idea. I've always liked the idea of Nick and Kevin fighting over Macy. I hope it wasn't obvious until the near the end that she was going to end up with Nick. ;)**_

_**Review with some **_**CRITICISM**_**? You know I love it.**_

_**Much love,  
Beth**_


	2. N E E D

**N E E D**

"The way she looked at me, Mace…" Joe said. "It was terrible. She looked like she _hated_ me. I just… I had to get out of there. It hurt so bad—she was hurt, I was hurt, I was hurt that she was hurt…"

"It's okay," Macy said soothingly. She rubbed his back tenderly, comfortingly. "I'm sure she doesn't _hate_ you, Joe. She's just confused. You're giving her a lot of mixed signals."

He sighed and leaned into her, his eyes lost. "I know. I just… _she's_ the one who insisted that we stay friends, you know? And now, all of a sudden, she wants to change things. She wants to know how I feel, but she won't tell me anything herself. Why can't _she_ be the one to say it? Why do _I_ have to be the one to put myself out there?"

Macy smiled sadly and gave his shoulders a little squeeze.

"You're both scared, Joe. It's hard. And I don't think she realizes that you're just as terrified of screwing things up as she is," said the brunette. "She's saved herself—her love life, her future, her everything—she's put it all off for you. And she wants you to come forward. She wants you to tell her whether her sacrifices were worthwhile."

"But what if they're not?"

It wasn't a confident question. His voice sounded so small and innocent and guilty all at the same time. He was afraid, so afraid, that he had ruined his best friend's life.

"Then she'll have to realize that she can't blame you. She made the choices herself," Macy stroked his hair affectionately, not unlike the way she did for her nephew when he found himself in trouble with his parents. "I think that you'll both survive, even if a romantic relationship doesn't."

His arm slipped around her waist and he hid his face in her hair for a moment. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Mace."

"Oh, you'd live," she laughed. "It's no—"

She was cut off when his mouth covered hers in a soft, warm kiss.

"Joe, what are you—?" she asked when he broke away, but he silenced her again. This time, he kissed harder, more urgently, as if he was searching for a response. Instinctively—for the boy was a pretty good kisser—she leaned toward him. But her mind snapped back to reality when his tongue raked over her lip. "Stop, Joe! I'm not Stella!"

There was hurt in his eyes, although she couldn't understand why. "I know that, Macy."

"Then why?" she demanded.

"I need you." It was a simple statement, but it sent chills down her spine. He _needed_ her.

"You need Stella," she protested.

But he shook his head; and then he was kissing her again. It was urgent, with passion and emotion that she knew wasn't for her—but he _needed_ her. And wasn't that what she wanted? To be needed?

She told herself that it was—because the real issue here wasn't her own feelings or her crush's or even Stella's. Joe was broken. Joe needed to be fixed. Joe needed to be comforted. Joe needed someone who would support him and help him recover until he was ready to face the girl he _really_ wanted.

And she would do just that.

* * *

"You kissed him?"

"Yes, Stella, I kissed him."

Everyone had a tell when they were lying. Kevin's voice jumped up a few octaves. Nick started acting sweet and outgoing. Joe became even more arrogant than usual. Stella made less and less sense as the lie unfolded.

Macy Misa did not have a tell at all.

"_You_ kissed _him_?"

"Yes! You can stop repeating it!"

Stella fumed silently, pacing back and forth in her friend's bedroom. "Why?"

"What?" Macy said.

"WHY?!" yelled the blonde. "Why would you kiss him if you knew about my feelings for him? Why would you kiss him after the way he hurt me? Why would you even _THINK_ about betraying me like that?!"

"I _betrayed_ you?" Macy gasped. She jumped up from her position on the bed, hands fisting tightly. "You betrayed _yourself_ when you walked away from him. You hurt him as much as he hurt you—except he was already feeling horrible for what he did. He was suffering enough without you grinding salt into the wounds. I was trying to comfort him!"

"Comfort him!"

"Yes, comfort. I was trying to help him. Then, out of nowhere, he kisses me—"

"Oh, so _he_ kissed _you_ now!" Stella exclaimed.

Macy groaned with frustration. She grabbed her friend by the shoulders and sat her down—the pacing was making her dizzy. "He kissed me first. He was just looking for someone who would respond, reassure him that it was still possible for someone to want him and need him. He wasn't trying to betray you. He just needed comfort."

"I'm not worried about Joe. I came over here because he begged me to talk to you. He begged me to listen."

"Then LISTEN!" Macy insisted. "I never meant to hurt either of you. If I had pushed him away—_really_ pushed him away—it would have done him more damage than good. He might never have recovered. That's how much he was hurting. I was just trying to help him rehabilitate—so that he would be ready to talk to you. _Yes_, I kissed him. Once. Just. Once."

"But you still—"

"If anyone hurt anyone, he hurt _me_, Stella!" Macy screamed. "I _knew_ that he didn't want me. He wanted _you_. You're all he's _ever_ wanted. You're all he ever talked about, ever thought about, ever cared about. We never had a conversation that didn't somehow involve you. He wasn't the only one looking for comfort."

"What? You struck out with Nick and you needed someone to need you?" Stella asked with a snort.

Macy was silent.

"You didn't…?" asked the blonde incredulously.

"No," said the other girl with a scowl. "I tried. I ended up giving him a black eye. And then Joe came running, terrified that he'd screwed everything up forever and ever… What else could I do?"

"Mace…" Stella murmured. She reached out and gripped the girl's shoulder.

"I know," said the brunette.

Their friendship was far from mended, but it was on the right track. Though she didn't notice, Stella was just as infected as the boys when it came to Macy's charms. She didn't have a rash, but she did have an itch to make up as quickly as possible.

Whether any of them realized it or not, they needed her.

Because everybody needs a little poison ivy.

* * *

_a/n: I'm not sure I'm happy with this update, but I felt a need to elaborate on what happened between Macy and Joe. I hope I made it clear here that she was NOT betraying Stella. She was trying to comfort Joe, and it was mostly his fault the kisses happened anyway._

_I'm REALLY unhappy with the end. I wanted to make it cohesive with the first chapter, so I threw a song lyric in there, but it still feels a little… bleh._

_Tell me what you think? If only to reassure me that this doesn't suck? I've never tried Jacy before, so I hope it's okay…_

_Much love,  
Beth_


End file.
